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Nutritious Snacks for Kids On-the-Go

ByErin Palinski-Wade
healthy on the go snack ideas for kids

This post has been created in partnership with IMAG!NE. All opinions are my own.

My biggest priority when I feed my family is to make sure I am providing my kids with foods I feel good about (and they love), no matter how busy the day gets. It can be so easy to focus on meal time, but the truth is snack time is just as important.

Children can easily consume one-third to half their day’s calories from snacks alone! But the problem with my kids is that they are always on-the-go. I’m sure you can relate! They just want to grab something and continue on with their day. They don’t care if it’s nutritious. They just care if it’s fun and tastes great. So how do you find snacks for kids on the go that are fun to eat, but that you can also feel good about giving to them?

My rule of thumb when choosing snacks for my kids is to make sure they provide balanced nutrition with wholesome ingredients like whole grains, cheese, etc.  which can help provide the nutrients kids can fall short on (e.g.  calcium and protein). So why not take advantage of snack time and make it an opportunity to feed your kids the nutrients they need. That’s why I was so excited to discover IMAG!NE, a new brand created by parents for parents who are looking for great-tasting snacks that they can feel good about feeding their kids. Why do I love IMAG!NE snacks?

  • This new snack line is not only incredibly fun, but it is a great on-the-go option that helps fuel kids’ bodies and minds with real ingredients, like yogurt and cheese.
  • The IMAG!NE snack line has four delicious varieties. IMAG!NE Yogurt Crisps in Mixed Berry and Apple Cinnamon flavors are made with real fruit and real yogurt that contain four grams of protein and eight grams of whole grains per serving, and are a good source of calcium.
  • IMAG!NE Cheese Stars are made with real cheese and come in Parmesan and White Cheddar flavors, both offering six grams of protein per serving.
  • IMAG!NE comes in fun shapes that my kids can’t get enough of.
healthy snack ideas for kids easy food art for kids

As a mom, I want to help my sons go, grow, and imagine by nourishing their bodies and their minds. And giving them a fun and nutritious snack that can be enjoyed no matter where the day takes us, and helps fuel my kids’ hungry imaginations just as much as their hungry bodies, is what every mom needs.

Let Snacking Help Your Child Explore New Foods

Have you ever struggled to get your child to try a new food? I deal with this battle in my own home as well as with my clients all of the time. And I have one secret weapon: let your child play with his food!

Simply exposing your child to a new food, such as touching it, tasting it, or just allowing it to sit on the plate, is the first step in getting a child to try a new food. And if you integrate this new food exposure into ‘play time’ your child will be completely on board.

To make it work, I recommend filling a plate with new foods in various sizes and shapes. For instance, you can fill a plate with IMAG!NE Cheese Stars, apple ‘stick,’ broccoli ‘trees,’ and cucumber ‘wheels.’

Then invite your child to help you build a fun picture out of the shapes. Creating a car, a house, or even a robot can get your child excited to ‘play’ with these new foods. And after you have created your work of art, you may find he is even willing to taste it!

And what’s better than spending quality time with your child that results in them being excited about nutritious food that will fuel his body? I can’t think of a better way to spend my afternoon!

How to Choose the Best Snacks For Kids

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So how do you choose the best snack options for your kids? When choosing a snack for your kids, ask yourself three things:

#1: Does it taste good?

#2: Do I feel good about giving them this food?

#3: Is it a convenient snack that will fit our family’s busy schedule?

Does it check all the boxes? If a food is nutritious, but doesn’t taste good, your kids won’t eat it. If it isn’t convenient, you probably won’t have time to enjoy it. When trying to find the best snack for kids on the go, look for a snack that you can answer yes to all of the above questions. That’s how you know you have found a winning snack option that your kids will actually look forward to eating and that you know is fueling their body and mind.

IMAG!NE is now available at retailers nationwide and online in 4.5oz bags for a suggested retail price of $3.49. For more information, please visit www.imaginesnacks.com.